Alion, Ribera del Duero

Alión is the modern wine of Vega Sicilia, Spain's most revered estate. Where the legendary Unico is aged for the best part of a decade before release, Alión was conceived in the early 1990s to do something different: to show pure Ribera del Duero Tempranillo - Tinto Fino, as it's known here - in a fresher, more direct style, closer in spirit to a modern Bordeaux estate than to old Spain.

It is 100% Tinto Fino, drawn from selected high-altitude parcels spread across the appellation, from the cool eastern villages near Soria to the estate's own land at Valbuena. Fermentation is with native yeasts; the wine then matures in French oak for well over a year, the cellar's hand judged to polish Ribera's naturally firm tannins without burying the dark fruit beneath them. Concrete is used alongside the barrels to keep the wine fresh and focused.

The result is a serious, full-bodied red with real depth - blackberry and dark cherry, graphite, spice and a savoury, earthy undertow, framed by fine, structured tannins. It carries the precision you would expect from this family, but in a form that speaks more immediately. Decant a young vintage and serve around 17-18°C.